Clutch plate



Feb. 8, 1938. H, v, REED l 2,107,741;

CLUTCH PLATE Filed 001'.. 5l,v 1954 V 2 i 1513.3 ji E e 1,0 A1f @y l @#m @L \\\\\g m53 Wg Sw g NES Wwi L m i4 .i2 i5 l 19 ff #29595 Patented Fei.v s, 193s 2,107,741

UNITED STATES PATENT oFFicE ,2,107,741v CLUTCH PLATE Harold V. Reed,l Chicago, Ill., asslgnor, by mesne assignments, to Borg-Warner Corporation, Chicago, Ill., a corporation of Illinois Application October 31, 19134, Serial No. 750,836 y 1o claims. (C1. 19a- 107) This invention relatesv tokfriction clutches for Fig. 3 is an enlarged sectional view on the line automotive vehicles and it may also be rused in l3 3 of Fig, 1; other friction clutches for which it is or may AFignlis afragmentary side elevation of amodibe adapted. d form of the invention; Clutch plates have heretofore been made in Fig. 5 is an enlarged sectional view on the line 5 various forms but they usually comprise a metal 5-5 of Fig. 4; disc made fast` to the driven member, and fric- Fig. 6 is a fragmentary side elevation of another tion facing secured to thedisc on opposite sides modified form of the invention; and -f y thereof adjacent the periphery of the disc and Fig. 7 is an enlarged sectional view on the line 10 adapted to be located between theclamping parts 1 1 of Fig. 6. I 10 of the driving member. Parts of the disc have Referring to the drawing the clutch plate com-v been struck from theplaneof the disc between prises a hub member 8 to which a disc 9 is sef vthe facings to one or both sides of the disc to curely fastened. A friction facing I0 is secured rform tongues which are spaced apartcircumfen to one side of the disc at the peripheral portion entially of the disc and provide a cushion support thereof by rivets II. A friction facing I3 is l5 for the facing. The facing has been spaced from secured, by rivets I4 to an annulus I2. The anthe lbody of the disc by the tonguesandbecause the nulus is suitably slotted to form tongues I5 tongues are spaced apart the facing has no direct which are struck from the plane of the annulus support between the tongues. The unsupported to the opposite side thereof from the facing I3.

' 20l parts'of theffacing have not made as complete In the form of the invention disclosed in Figs. 00

contactwith the driving member as the parts of 1 to 3 the end portions of the tongues I5 are bent the facing supported by the tongues inasmuch as back to dispose the ends of the tongues in the the facing has beenireeto give slightly between plane of the annulus leaving the centralportion fthe'tongues. Thevresult hasbeen that the facings thereof disposed to one side of the plane of the f rwear.' to a greater extent at the portions where annulus. The rivets I I securing the facing I0 to 25 they aredirectly supported bythe tongues than the disc extend through the central portion of at the portions between the tongues Wherethey the tongues I5 to also secure the tongues I5 and are not directly supported thereby producingan annulus I2 to the disc. The tongues form a f un-uniform initial engagement. cushion for the engagement of the facings in the The primary object of this invention is to supfriction clutch and the annulus I2 backs up the 30 35. Another object isito provide each facing of a drivingmember.

porta cushioned facing'of a clutch plate subfacing I3 so that it is supported substantially stantially throughout its area so that the facing throughout its area to avoid any give of the facwill make full contact with the driving member ing at the time of engagement of the clutch and of a clutch upon initial engagement. provides a full contact of the facing with the clutch plate with a lsubstantially solid backing In another form of the clutch plate shown in and with a cushion interposed between the back- Figs. 4 and 5 the tongues have kbeen formed to ings to cushion the engagement of the facings. provide a more resilient cushion than is provided LAnd a further object is toprovide a. novel bythe tongues shown in the form. disclosed in 40 clutch plate having friction facings mounted 4for Figs. 1 to 3. The disc shown in Figs. 4 and 5 is 4o `5'0 referring thereto: cure the end portions of the tongues to the disc axial cushioning movement relative to each other slotted to' form elongated tongues I6 which are and'wherein each facing has an individual backstruck from the plane of the annulus to the opy ing therefor for solidly supporting the facings subposite side thereof from the facing I3. The stantially throughout their areas to provideasubrivets II securing the facing I0 to the disc exisfstantially full contact for the facings with the tend through the end portion of the tongues I6 45 y driving member upon initial engagement of the `to secure the tongues I 6 and annulus I2 to the' clutch. l n disc. The tonguesl I6 are more resilient than the In .Y the accompanying drawing I have illustongues I5 because the lever arm of the tongues is "trateda selected embodiment of the invention and considerably longer and because the rivets II se- Fig. 1 is a side elevationv of the clutch plate instead ofthe central portion.

showing one of the friction facings and the disc Figs, 6 and 7 show another form wherein partlyrbroken away; tongues are struck both from the annulus and Fig. 2 is a sectional view onthe line 2-2 of fromthe disc to form pairs of tongues. The any Fig, 1; f nulus is slotted to form tongues Il which are 55 struck from the disc to dispose the end portions on the opposite side of the plane of the annulus from the facing i3. The rivets l l extend through the end portions of the tongues ll to hold the tongues il, facing iii and disc 9 together. Tongues i8 are struck from the disc to dispose their end portions to the opposite side of the plane of the disc from the facing i8 and the rivets i4 extend through the end portions of the tongues i8 to hold the tongues I8, facing i3 and annulus i2 together.

The disc 9 may,

ripher'al portion of the disc. The radial 'slots are located between each tongue, or between the pairs of tongues in the form shown in Figs; 6 and 7. The radial slots will provide agreater flexibility to the clutch plate and may or may not be used as desired. These slots are so narrowV and the span of the facing over them is so short that they do not lessen the support of the facing; and it will be understoodthat when I refer to the facing lacking support I do not meanat such slots but I do mean at the spaces intermediateof the tongues to which the facing is fastened or by which the facing is supported and whether those tongues are formed in sectors or in an unslotted disc. In Figs. 1 to 3 the disc is unslottedfthe facing lil is flatly supported thereon, and the annulus is unslotted radially but is provided with tongues which form the cushion between the plate and the annulus `and-the facing E3 is flatly supported on the annulus. f In Figs. 4 and 5the disc is slotted to form the sectors but .the facing it is supported flatly on the sectors as it is supported on the unslotted disc of Fig. 3. In Figs..6 and 7 the disc is provided with sectors and the sectors are provided with tongues, and the annulus also has tongues, and the facings fit flatly against the disc and the annulus and are unsupported. only at smallareas within the inner and outer edges of the'facings. These small areas are unimportant'insofar as supporting the facing is concerned because the facing is supported at the inner side and at the outer-side of said' areas within the inner and outer edges of the facing. My invention avoids the unsupported sections of the facing of large and substantial area which have resulted from mounting the facing upon tongues spaced apart and supporting the facing spaced from the member from which the tongues are struck.

The invention affords a clutch plate having friction facings thereon adapted to be gripped by the driving member of the Clutch for transmission of the motion of the driving member to the driven member wherein the initial engagement of the facings is cushioned and the facings are backed up substantially throughout their area to provide full and complete contact of the facings with the driving member. The friction facings are supported so that they will not give between the fastening means and therefore'the facings will wear evenly throughout their area.

While I have shown and described the invention in a particular type of clutch plate I do not 'mean thereby to restrict the invention to this embodiment for it can be employed in many different kinds of clutches and clutch plates with satisfactory results;V and therefore I reserve the right to use the invention in any formV and for any purpose for which it is or mayv be adapted within the scope of the following claims:

I claim: v

i.. A Yclutch plate comprising, a disc, an annulus having yieldable portions extending away if desired, be provided with, narrow radial slots E3 to form sectors 'in the pe` from the body of said annulus in the direction of said means securing one of said facings, the yieldable portions of said annulus and said disc together, and means securing the other of said facings and said annulus together.

2. A clutch plate comprismg, a disc member,

an annulus member, a pair of friction facings, cushion means on one of said members, means securing one of said facings and said one member together and means securing the cushion disc, a pair of friction facings, commonmeans, the other of said facings and the other of said members together.

3. A clutch plate comprising, aY hub member,

a disc member connected to said hub member, a

facing on the outer side of said disc member, an annulus member on the other side of the disc member opposite the facing and independent of the hub member and carried by said disc member, another'facing on the outer side of the annulus member, and cushion means for the facings in tegral with one of the members and-interposed between said members and.v connected toone of said facings.

4. A clutch plate comprising, a nulus, a pair of friction facings, tongues on said annulus struck from one side out of the plane disc, an anit? thereof to form a cushion, the annulus arranged Y adjacent the peripheral portion of the disc on one side thereof with the tongues engaging the disc, one-of the facings arranged on the opposite side of the annulus and the other facing arranged on the 'opposite side of the disc, means securing said tongues, said Ydisc and the facing arranged on said opposite side of the disc together, and means securing said annulus and the facing arranged on said opposite side of the annulus toi gether. l l Y l Y 5. A clutch plate comprising, a disc, an annulus, a pair of friction facings, tongues on said annulus struck from one side out of theV plane thereof to form a cushion, the end'portion of the tongues bent back to dispose the ends thereof in the plane of the disc, the annulus arranged adjacent the peripheral portion of the Vdisc on one side thereof with the centralY portion of the tongues engaging the disc, one of the facings arranged on.k the opposite side of the annulus and the other facing arranged on the opposite side of the disc, means securing the central portion of the tongues, said disciand the facing arranged on said opposite side of the disc together and means securing said annulus and the facing arranged on said opposite side of the Yannulus together.

6. A clutch plate comprising, a disc, an annulus, a pair of friction facings, tongues on said annulus'struck from one side out of the'plane thereof to .form a'cushion, the annulus arrangedv adjacent the `peripheral portion ofthe disc on onek side thereof with the end portions of the tongues engaging the disc, one of the facings arranged on the opposite side of the annulus and the other facing arranged on the opposite side of the disc,.means securing the end portions of said tongues, said disc and the facingr arranged on said opposite' sideY of the disc together, and means securing said annulus and the facing arranged on said opposite side of the annulus together. l Y

7. A, clutch plate comprising, a disc, and an annulus member arranged adjacent thereto, a friction facing on the outer'side of each of said members, cushion means on said members, means securing one of said members, theY facing on the' A -means securing said ing said disc member,

' side thereof and the cushion means on said an-A nulus member together.

' outside thereof and the cushion means on the other of said members together, and means securing the other of said members, the facing on the outside thereof and the cushion means on said one member together.

8. A clutch plate comprising, a. disc, and an annulus member, a pair of friction `facings, cushion means on said members struck from one side thereof, said members arranged with the sides having the cushion means thereon adjacent each other and said facings arranged on the other sides of said members respectively, annulus member, the facing on said other side thereof and the cushion means on the discmember together, and means securthe facing on said other y 9. A clutch disc comprising, a hub, a circular plate member fixed to said hub, an annular cushion member having yieldable portions located entirely Within an annular area adjacent the periphery of the circular plate, said cushion memfrom the body of plate and the yieldable portions of said cushion member together, said means being located within the said annular area, and means directly securing the other of said facings and said cushion together.

10. A clutch plate comprising, a hub, a disc member fixed to said hub, an annulus memberfree of attachment to said hub, one of said members having a. yieldable portion extending away the said one member in the direction of the other member, a pair of friction facings, common means securing one of said facings and the yieldable portion of said one member and said other member together, and means securing the other of said facing and one of said members together.

` HAROLD V. REED.

CERTIFICATE OF CORRECTION.

Patent No. 2,107,7l4l. February 8, 1958.

HAROLD V. REED.

It is hereby certified that error appears in the printed specification of the above numbered patent requiring correction as follows: Page 2, second column, line 7l, and page 5, first column, line 6, claimsI 'Y and 8 respectively, for "disc, and an read. disc member, en; and that the said Letters Patent should be read with these corrections therein thatthe same may conform to the record of the case in the Patent Office.

Signed and sealed this 15th day of March, A. D. 1958.

Henry Van Arsdale,

(Seal) Acting; Commissioner of Patents. 

